An Admirer
by Lady SLV
Summary: ONESHOT Sakuras got a secret admirer but who? Reviews Welcome!


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters from the anime/manga

An Admirer

One hour. That's how long she had watched the tiny beetle. It's path was a loop, endless and unwavering. First it approached her right elbow, circling around to pass under the rim of her plate. Out the left side and across her left hand, down the index finger to begin it's loop anew. She sighed and re-read the gilt edged note card for the 20th time.

_To the one blossom who's beauty outshines all flowers_

_An Admirer_

The bouquet of wildflowers in a blue tinted vase before her eyes, dead center on the table. Her new companion had strolled confidently out of the center of a stunning flower and began it's meandering trek only moments after she placed the vase there. The gifts appearing on her door step every morning was quite unsettling at first but after a month she was used to the little surprises. Always different and always creative, this was the first incident of communication from her mystery admirer, this tiny note on high quality card stock.

Perhaps it was a mistake to begin accepting the gifts but with so few options open to the 19 year old kunoichi, she was delighted to have the prospect of love, even anonymously. Running her fingers through her chin length strawberry locks, she turned her attention back to her little friend who was currently making his 100th pass around her now cold breakfast.

The gifts were simple at first; a sketch of her leaning her head on her hand, staring out into space, a small bottle of dark chocolate liqueur, a tin of her favorite cookies. She confronted Sai, Lee and Naruto but none would admit to leaving the tokens of affection. In fact she had spoken to many of the males she knew but not a single one had voiced even the slightest recognition of the gifts, although Kakashi had given her some food for thought when he mentioned that maybe it wasn't a guy at all. She had blushed furiously at his suggestion but after a month of fruitless searching she was ready to start questioning the girls too.

As the gifts became more extravagant she decided to simply wait until she had something that would point her in the right direction. A set of bejeweled hair pins sporting multi-colored butterflies arrived just yesterday. They we're accompanied by a framed poem about sweet scented flowers attracting the jewels of nature, butterflies.

" I don't care if it's one of Hana's patients at this point, I just want to _know_!" she spoke to her mini buddy "Do you know who my secret admirer is little buggy?"

The beetle stopped moving and appeared to be looking at the flowers. She leaned forward and examined the arraignment closely trying to figure out what the bug was trying to tell her.

"I must be crazy, talking to an insect. Worse yet acting as if said insect can help me unravel this mystery"

As she leaned back in her chair she noticed something caught on one of the bunches of baby's breath. A single dark hair, a deep rich brown color that shone in the morning sun slanting across the table. Her brow creased as she ran through every one she knew who possessed such hair. The clues fell into place in her mind with almost audible clicks, dark hair, butterfly ornaments, the wayward bug traversing her dining table. A smile crept onto her face as she finally put it all together.

She shoved back her chair and raced to dress for the day, pining her hair back with the sparkling pins, stopping momentarily to allow her tiny friend to climb into her palm.

"I think I've got it, little guy. Lets go find out if I'm right!"

As she hurried through the village she tried to formulate the perfect opening line, something that would say she shared his feelings without making her look foolish if she was wrong. Something subtle and demure, with just a hint of emotion. She sped out to the training grounds, knowing he would be there with Hinata, helping her hone her skills. Slowing as she came closer, she was surprised to find him standing alone in the center of the grassy field, his back to her. She steeled her resolve and approached him, reaching out her hand and tapping his shoulder.

As he turned to face her, her mind went blank. Her shy admirer, her silent sweetheart, in that one moment she knew it had to be him. She felt true love filling her soul and knew that her feeble hopes of simple affection were a pipe dream. She felt the churning need to be with him forever, to share his life despite only discovering his true identity 10 minutes beforehand. He smiled at her, partially hidden under his high collar. She opened her mouth, hoping beyond hope that she would form a coherent sentence.

"I love you too, Shino"

Oh well, so much for subtle.

Authors Note: short and sweet. I hope you enjoyed my teensy One shot.

Hana -Kibas sister who is a Veterinarian, last I checked. therefore her patients are animals.

Liqueur - a sweet flavored alcoholic drink usually considered an after-meal beverage

Ahh shinobi love, is there anything sweeter?


End file.
